Distribution:
Distribution: Tropical and subtropical countries in Asia, Africa, S. Europe, North Australia and introduced in new world tropics.

Comment/Acknowledgements:
Common throughout Pakistan from sea level to 3500 m, in sandy soils of barren lands and cultivated fields as a weed.

A highly variable species in leaf and flower size and fruit characters. Many authors recognize subspecies and varieties on the basis of presence or absence of spines, tubercles and indumentum on the dorsal side of mericarps but these characters do not seem constant and correlated and I prefer to recognize one variable species without any formal infra-specific taxa.

The plant is used as a diuretic, demulcent, tonic, aphrodisiac and aperient. The fruit is used in painful micturition, urinary diseases, impotence, cough and heart diseases.